The number of people with type 2 diabetes is growing, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 29 million people in the United States now have the disease, up from the previous estimate of 26 million in 2010. What’s more, one in four people with diabetes doesn’t even know it. Diabetes is serious business. In this metabolic syndrome, the body is unable to produce or process adequate insulin, causing elevated blood sugar that can damage the heart, vascular system, kidneys, nerves and vision. Without an official diabetes diagnosis, many people don’t concern themselves with their blood sugar levels. But they should!:
Most of what we do in the U.S. when it comes to diabetes is play catch- up. It is easy to identify people who are at risk of type 2 diabetes and intervene early with steps that will improve their health and possibly even extend their lives.
¡More than one in three U.S. adults has prediabetes!, which is defined as blood sugar that is higher than normal but not elevated enough to classify as type 2 diabetes. Even if the doctor never mentions it, people must learn about their blood sugar levels. In addition to the traditional fasting blood glucose test, many doctors use the A1C hemoglobin test, which measures average levels of blood glucose over three months.
A normal A1C level is below 5.7 percent.
Diabetes is diagnosed at 6.5 percent or above. Anything between 5.7 to 6.4 percent is considered prediabetes. Without healthier eating and moderate physical activity, as many as 30 percent of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within ﬁve years, according to the CDC, so:
You need to know your A1C number! for as prediabetic you can intervene and reverse the process to stay healthy by improving even more eating habits, become more active and lost required weight.
Take Care!
Worth it!